OPINION - REFLECTIONS ON SIERRA CASCADE LOGGING CONFERENCE

 

TN20D SWING MACHINE

OPINION

By Don Amador

February 9, 2026

 

REFLECTIONS ON SIERRA-CASACADE LOGGING CONFERENCE

 

 

On February 5, I had the honor to attend the 2026 Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference and Equipment Show held at the Shasta County Fairgrounds in Anderson, CA.  And, to meet Tom Schultz, Chief of the Forest Service, before he gave the keynote presentation early Thursday morning to a crowd over 250 leaders from the timber industry, state and federal land agencies, CAL FIRE, logging equipment suppliers, and elected officials.

Forest Service Chief, Tom Schultz, Keynote Speaker

I appreciated that Chief Schultz emphasized the agency’s commitment to “actively manage” this country’s national forests and to increase the pace and scale of forest management efforts via a major overhaul of NEPA and other regulations.  Those efforts also include engaging more with tribes, timber companies, Resource Conservation Districts and other community partners to do more on-the-ground projects that will support rural economies, provide more lumber for building homes, and support more wildfire mitigation and post-fire recovery efforts.  Schultz did mention the necessity for the agency to ensure the forest transportation system is repaired and armored post-fire and that recreation is another important product of the forest.

Jeff Marsolais - USFS Lead (Retired)

In the afternoon, the recently retired Jeff Marsolais - with his extensive background of serving in key lead roles in the Forest Service both in Region 5 and Washington DC – gave his overview and status of current agency reforms, policy/guidance updates, consolidation, priorities, and focus on partnerships. 

 

Key Takeaways

 

·         FS Going through Greatest Upheaval in History

 

·         Chaos and Deep Staff Cuts were Demoralizing

 

·         Focus on Active Management

 

·         Amplifying “Getting Work Done” Mindset

 

·         Revise/Streamline NEPA, ROADLESS, other Rules, and Permits

 

·         Increase Use of Post Fire EAs

 

·         New Stewardship Agreements with Partners including Tribes, Counties, Timber Industry, RCDs, and successful project-driven NGOs

 

·         Continue Dismantling/Restructure of WO and ROs and Redirect Resources to the Local Unit

 

·         Demand Accountability/Quantify Accomplishments from Decision-makers

 

Anther topic that came up during post meeting discussions was the critical need for the Outdoor Recreation Community to continue their advocacy efforts in support of the Forest Roads and Trails Program and post fire recovery of recreation facilities to ensure they are not forgotten during reorganization or budget activities.

The good news is there appears to be momentum to PUSH THE RESET BUTTON and redirect fiscal and staff resources to individual Forests and Ranger Districts in support of on-the-ground forest health, fuel, wildfire, and recreation projects with a significant reliance on private and public sector partners to help accomplish that mission.

 

2026 Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference

https://www.sclcexpo.com/expo/current-expo

 

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for 35 years.   Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance.  Don is a Co-Founder and Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino, a forest health collaborative that is part of the National Fire Learning Network.  Don served as an AD Driver for the Forest Service North Zone Fire Cache during the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Fire Seasons.